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EZ-ACCESS

EZ-ACCESS’ aluminum solutions help make access easier for all individuals. By Alan Dorich

For 34 years, EZ-ACCESS has helped people move beyond barriers. “We believe that people can enjoy life the most when they have the ability to obtain accessibility,” co-owner and CEO Don Everard says.

Algona, Wash.-based EZ-ACCESS has provided that accessibility through many products, including aluminum ramps, decks, walkways, steps and multi-story stair systems. Everard’s mother and sister, President Glenda Everard and Vice President Deanne Sandvold, started the company in the summer of 1984.

The two initially operated the company out of their home with a staff of three and began serving the home healthcare market with products for people with disabilities. Don Everard, who brought his marketing skills to the family business in 1988, notes that most of the company’s sales at that time were from portable ramps.

All that changed when Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. “As the ADA came into effect, we saw an increase of more semi-permanent ramps used for residential, commercial and industrial applications,“ he recalls.

EZ-ACCESS began manufacturing aluminum modular ramps for homes with the vision that they would replace DIY wood ramps, which allowed them to expand into the commercial and industrial sector. “Now, we manufacture ramps for all different types of commercial facilities,” Everard says.

The company, he adds, has come a long way since its humble beginnings. EZ-ACCESS now employs a staff of 170-plus and operates from locations on the East and West Coasts to serve the nation.

Leading the Way

EZ-ACCESS’ facilities in Algona, and Morganfield, Ky., provide it with multiple supply sources to execute reliable and sustainable distribution. They also feature more than 250,000 square feet of manufacturing and distribution space, which includes 20 acres recently added at its Morganfield location.

“We’re definitely an industry leader in all facets of our business,” Vice President of Sales Mike Johnson says, noting that the company has strong relationships with its general contracting clients.

“Some of our customers have been with us 20-plus years,” he adds, noting that their clients often repeatedly order the same products from EZ-ACCESS or make a point of calling the company first when they have a unique access project.

“We do OSHA stairs and ramp systems for all the major portable building providers,” Everard says. “They use us for other needs they have as well, [ranging] from temporary to permanent access to a building. As our product lines grow, so does our customer base.”

The company’s status as a family- and woman-owned small business for more than 30 years also makes it attractive to builders as longevity and trust has been established with the EZ-ACCESS brand. “They find us pretty quickly,” Johnson says. “The best referrals are from word of mouth.”

Aluminum Advocates

EZ-ACCESS stays current with market trends and evolving demographics, which drives the company to innovate in areas such as home accessibility, building access and portable loading/unloading solutions. This fueled the company’s efforts to utilize aluminum in its products in order to best serve access needs, while recognizing the industry’s largest competitor is wood.

“We work really hard to show people the value of aluminum versus wood,” Everard says, noting that aluminum products last longer and are easier to maintain.

Yet, with the Trump administration’s recent talk of possible tariffs on aluminum and steel, EZ-ACCESS is watching the market closely. “That could impact the cost of aluminum and the cost of steel,” Everard admits. “That is obviously a concern we have.”

The company, which buys 6 million pounds of aluminum annually, retains a positive outlook. “We work with the largest aluminum suppliers,” he says, adding that some are going to start smelting their own metal.

This will give EZ-ACCESS a competitive advantage, Everard says. “We’re not working with regional distributors but we’re working with the largest ones. That helps us leverage every opportunity to keep cost down and guarantees that we always have material on hand in order to complete the smallest to largest jobs we receive,” he says.

Product Offerings

EZ-ACCESS takes pride in its products, which include its TITAN™ Code Compliant Modular Access System that is the staple for its commercial business. “You can use it for any type of public access, whether it’s a library, hospital, school or other commercial application,” Everard says.

The product, which is compliant with ADA, IBC, OSHA and local code guidelines, combines ramps, platforms and steps. In addition, “It has the capability to be configured into a variety of different layouts to best suit the intended application,” he says.

EZ-ACCESS’ products have been used in high-profile projects such as at the Museum of Flight. At the 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards, “We won Silver in the ‘Building Trades Business of the Year’ category. The awards ceremony conveniently took place at the Museum of Flight, so our commercial/industrial stairs were prominently showcased for everyone in attendance. Our multi-story stair systems provide access for visitors of the museum to each of the planes in their exhibit,” Fowler adds.

Ensuring Quality

Quality has to be integral from the very beginning for these products to be successful. While the company designs and engineers its products, “We also outsource our third-party testing,” Everard says. “Any new product does get stress tested, weight tested and certified as required.”

EZ-ACCESS also recently increased the number of CNC machines to three at its location in Algona. This allows the company “to increase accuracy, simplify production and more efficiently produce items for a growing market,” Johnson says.

Everard agrees. “A punch press and drill press can get you so far, but a CNC gives you the higher quality,” he says, adding that the majority of its products are made with aluminum extrusions, which results in better quality.

The company also uses a photographic shipping system that ensures all components are included in the shipments. “Our reinforced packaging, not like others’ plastic banding, demonstrates our care and ensures that each modular aluminum walkway system arrives intact, even if it is shipped long distances,” Johnson adds.

Complete Support

One of EZ-ACCESS’ “claims to fame” is its customer service, Everard says. The company has invested heavily in its interactions with customers, which has allowed it to provide strong tech support through call centers and online chats.

Johnson noted that the company’s departmental staff is cross-trained to ensure the proper handling of project requests, orders, questions to customer service and related inquiries. “The production and shipping departments are staffed to supply and deliver required products for the volume needed with no additional delay,” Johnson says.

Johnson confirms, “We place a lot of emphasis on treating our customers the way they want to be treated, that’s part of the reason why we’ve been so successful.”

This can be a comfort to customers who do not always understand the technical aspects of EZ-ACCESS’ products. “We have well-trained product experts on the phones to help people determine what is the best product for them. This ensures that when customers receive the product it fits their function,” he says.

“We call it cradle-to-the-grave support,” Everard says. The staff handles a high annual volume of production for projects, coast-to-coast. “Should the need arise, additional staff and additional shifts will be added to quickly process any additional work that may be created above the volume currently processed,” according to Johnson.

“We also have a great website that shows our products and what their applications are,” Everard adds.

The site features an incline calculator and chart, ramp selector tool, technical documentation, assembly and use instructions and videos for each product. “This makes our online presence a valuable conduit to educate and serve the construction sector for modular aluminum walkway and ramp solutions,” Fowler says.

Cultural Commitment

EZ-ACCESS values its entire team, which it honors monthly during its Mission, Vision and Values (MVV) announcement celebration. “Employees are nominated by their peers and then chosen for recognition by our Corporate Culture team,” Johnson says.

Johnson notes that this has worked better for EZ-ACCESS than an “employee of the month” program. “Here, employees are recognized for raising the bar and staying true to our values,” he says.

“That’s part of the reason we’ve grown to the size we are,” he says, noting that the company has maintained its commitment to values such as innovation, integrity and teamwork since its start.

This has helped nurture loyalty from EZ-ACCESS’ staff, which has an average tenure of five to seven years; “we also have people [who have been here] 24 years,” Everard says, noting that the company has grown its staff by adding new departments throughout the years.

Making it Easy

After 30 years, Everard still finds satisfaction in EZ-ACCESS’ work, as the company has made people’s lives easier with its products. “[We look at] how do we make your accessibility safer and more convenient,” he says. “With each product we design, we believe we’re making it easier and safer.”